I read a thread about tipping for a meal.
When I first started shooting and was being coached on the history of the sport, I was told shooters used to tip the trappers and scorers. The first shoot I attended and those after, A friend and I tipped the kids with skittles or something afyer each round. We actually had kids remember us for that when we came to those clubs next shoot. Question is, Do any of you tip the volunteers? If there is no charge for R.V. parking? Do you offer a donation? If the dinner is free do you tip or make a donation? Seems like most have no problem with a 20% tip for a meal. Why not tip the clubs. This sport is a lot like that water faucet or light switch in your homes.If water comes out or the lights work? We never call the water or power company and say thank you do we.
If they dont work we call and raise hell. Because we PAY for those systems to work. Yet we EXCECT to go to a shoot run by volunteers, EXPECT the shoot to run flawlessly and if it does? do any of you tip?, Some express their thanks.
If the help IS paid? Are they tipped?
Whats the difference between that meal and those people and clubs that work so hard for all of us?
Can you imagin how healthy a shoot would be for a club if a 5% tip was offered?
Just a thought people.

Dennis - I like the way you think. I remember when the pullers would get tipped if they didn't give you any slow pulls. With the voice pulls that we have today all that went a way. I have tipped a couple of the young scores at a couple of shoots who were the sons and daughters of people I know just because they are good kids and I just wanted to be nice. But I agree a tip to the trap help is a good idea. I will try to be more active in the future and I thank you for the thought. I am not well off by no means, but I can afford to say thank you were it is due and a couple of bucks isn't going to kill me. Dwayne

One of the clubs I was a member of had a "Shooter appreciation day" featuring a 100 bird derby you did have to pay to enter, but you also got a free tciket to the Hog roast potluck. The club always made money on these days and shooters always got to enjoy the day as well.

I've tipped before, but most clubs I visited last year had tip jars for the kids. If they didn't have one, I asked and they made one. I liked the Skittles story - I too brought treats once and I was remembered more for that then for any tip.

Another local club (non ATA) that has manual pullers have signs that tell you the kids work for tips. It's even stated on the back of their bright colored vests. Not sure how I really feel about that, but I'm OK helping out these young ones.

We had two trappers running our 5 Stand the other night. I offered to have them each shoot a round while the other one scored the squad. I provided the gun, ammo, and targets. They both jumped at the chance to shoot. They usually don't get to shoot much. It's pretty expensive on what we pay them to work. Mark

Approaching the trap help at the end of the day during a dinner or any down time and just saying thanks (even if thye aren't the best help) goes a long way. I know shooters pay good $$ for their birds and the chance to compete, but hey, it's only a game, and I've seen some horrible behavior from grumpy farts as if their life depended on a good score, and then take it out on the help. I even heard a guy on my squad last year tell two 'kids' that they couldn't stand under the umbrella together and told one of them to leave. I know we teach young adults to be respectful, but if that had been me, I would have told him to mind his own business and I will stand anywhere I want to. (they werent' being disruptive, I think one was in trainig). Tipping is hard to keep fair, as we all judge the trap help differently and in that case, one gets a tip, they all get it in my book. I guess if I was more competitive, my scores would improve, but I just can't take it that seriously to the point where you treat people poorly over missing a little orange disc with a shotgun.

Never tipped anyone directly at a registered shoot, however, I have given help bottles of cold water on a hot day and sometimes a soda if they looked frazzled. Practice is a different story if the help is pushing the button which is more common on the sporting or five stand fields than trap. Normally I pay a buck a round.

If there's a tip jar in the club during a registered shoot, I'll put in.

We shoot gamse and normally have between forty and fifty shooters, depending on the club, a buck a person is collected from everyone before the last shoot. Other clubs add a buck onto the fees at the time you pay.

Doesn't matter if your shooting or pulling everyone has a cost just to show up and the help isn't any different, their gas costs the same for them as me. So I want to make certain it's worthwhile for the help to show up or they won't.

i'll tip a trapper two bucks for a fun or practice round. tipping at a competition shoot, aside from being a rule violation, also looks too much like bribing an official. but i always offer them sun block, bug spray and a bathroom break before we shoot and leave them with a cold water, a little bag of trail mix, a handshake and a sincere thank you after we shoot. too many shooters don't even acknowledge the volunteer help, but that's another story

I agree with some of the above that tipping scorers at a registered shoot might be construed as bribery, written rule or not. I have tipped a practice puller/scorer who gave me a really good shooting tip. Also, at several registered shoots I have made a point to go to the people who are doing the classification and registration and thank them for the job they are doing. I wasgratified at the Dixie Grand to see the expression on their faces when I shook their hand and thanked them. I got the feeling that they had not received too many of those kudos. Jack

Bigdogtx, the reason yelofin is shouting may just be he is still remembering the girl in the bikini !!!!!! I have always wondered about tipping score keepers. I witnessed it at the Grand many years ago and wondered if it changed the scores!!?? Roger

My club's trappers are mostly college kids working part time. I give $20 tips to each one around the holidays, and the appreciation lasts all year long. I recall when $20 was a big deal to me, and despite inflation it still buys a few cold ones....

Since i started shooting three years ago, I have not seen any tipping at a sanctioned event -- ATA, NSCA or NSSA...

I shot a few times back in the 80's with Tony Olivito and his group in
Pittsburgh. I believe he always tipped the help $50 after they were
finished for the day. The day for those guys usually consisted of
2000 or more singles each, but the help would fight over who got to
pull and set their trap. Don't ever recall bad pulls or targets. By the way,
Tony always had some cake or other snack on the back of his truck
so no one had to leave the trap between hundreds. Truely a unique
group of great people, had loads of fun there and wish I would have
made the trip there more times.